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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE TO FILE 18-1650
(Health and Hospitals Committee 5/16/2018)
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
Sponsored By: JESUS G. GARCIA, JOHN A. FRITCHEY, STANLEY MOORE and RICHARD R. BOYKIN and LUIS ARROYO JR, JOHN P. DALEY, DENNIS DEER, BRIDGET GAINER, GREGG GOSLIN, SEAN M. MORRISON, TIMOTHY O. SCHNEIDER, PETER N. SILVESTRI, DEBORAH SIMS, LARRY SUFFREDIN and JEFFREY R. TOBOLSKI, County Commissioners
TO ADOPT THE GOOD FOOD PURCHASING POLICY
WHEREAS, Cook County strives to improve the health of all its residents through services and policies that promote health and well-being; and
WHEREAS, The Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) was developed in 2012 to encourage public institutions to procure food produced through values-driven purchasing standards and to support successful implementation through technical assistance and verification; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) recommended the creation of sustainable local food systems in its Go To 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan; and
WHEREAS, The Cook County Commission on Social Innovation, through its internal procedure reviewed, and now recommends, the adoption of a Good Food Purchasing Policy; and
WHEREAS, The Cook County Commission on Social Innovation found that sustainable food is ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible; and
WHEREAS, The Cook County Commission on Social Innovation found that the health and well-being of residents can be supported by the creation of a sustainable local food system; and
WHEREAS, Good Food is defined by GFPP as food that is healthy, local, fair, sustainable and humane, with foods that meet the dietary guidelines for Americans, provide freedom from chronic ailment and are delicious and safe, and where participating food suppliers are evaluated and held accountable for ensuring fair compensation and fair treatment of their workers, and that those workers are free of exploitation, and where Good Food is available to purchase for all income levels and high-quality food is equitable and physically and culturally accessible to all, and where food is produced, processed, distributed, and recycled locally using the principles of environmental stewardship (in terms of water, soil, and pesticide management); and
WHEREAS, Good Food values prioritize nutrition, affordability, geography, and sustainable production practices including sound environmental practices, fair prices for producers, safe and fair working conditions for employees, and humane conditions for animals; and
WHEREAS, Good Food purchasing refers to the sourcing and purchasing of foods and beverages, and food and beverage service contracts, procured by County Departments and Agencies; and
WHEREAS, In participating in the Good Food Purchasing Program, Cook County will help support a regional food system that is ecologically sound, economically viable and socially responsible, and will have an impact on the availability of local, sustainable food; and
WHEREAS, Cook County adopted the Social Enterprise Preference to create opportunities for businesses that address social needs and employ people who are mentally, physically, economically or educationally disadvantaged including people with arrest and conviction records and those facing significant employment challenges.
WHEREAS, There is a need to preserve urban and peri-urban farm land with equitable minority community ownership and control; and
WHEREAS, There exists in the food and composting industries limited diversity in the ownership, production and distribution channels; and
WHEREAS, There are significant barriers to entry into the food industry at the ownership level, including access to capital and information, expertise and relationships, resulting in a need for capacity building for disadvantaged and under-capitalized businesses; and
WHEREAS, There are a number of tax credits available at the federal, state, county and city level to incentivize investment in distressed communities and to hire very low- income employees, employees with past criminal records, etc.; and
WHEREAS, It is recognized that the significant buying power of public institutions across the country can reform the food system, create opportunities for smaller farmers and low-income entrepreneurs of color to thrive, provide just compensation and fair treatment for food chain workers, support sustainable farming practices, reward good environmental stewardship including limiting food waste and increasing composting, and increase access to fresh and healthy foods; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That Cook County embrace the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) as a strategy to help improve our region’s food system through the adoption and implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Standards, which emphasize the following values:
1. Local Economies - support small and mid-sized agricultural and food processing operations within the local area or region.
1.A. Priority Communities- Incentivize through GFPP bonus points purchasing food produced and/or processed for GFPP contracts from low-to-moderate income communities where at least 51% of households have incomes at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI), as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Priority will be given to communities that also have scores ranging between 30.1 and 82.7 on the University of Illinois at Chicago Great Cities Institute’s Economic Hardship Index.
2. Environmental Sustainability -- Support farmers employing sustainable farming practices by using the least toxic crop protectants reducing the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers; utilizing antibiotics only when medically necessary; conserve and regenerate soil and water; protect and enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity; and reduce on-farm energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Valued Workforce - provide safe and healthy working conditions and fair compensation for all food chain workers and producers from production to consumption
4. Animal Welfare - provide healthy and humane care for farm animals.
5. Nutritional - promote health and well-being by offering generous portions of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains; reducing salt, added sugars, fats, and oils; and by eliminating artificial additives.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the following goals are also adopted and implemented as part of Cook County’s participation in the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) to address ongoing inequities and issues caused by unequal access to access and resources. Cook County Departments and agencies are tasked with developing multi-year action plans that will address these inequities by pursuing one or more of these possible strategies:
• Encourage businesses to grow food organically and engage in bio-dynamic agriculture, developing incentives for Requests for Proposal reviews and other potential supports during the contracting period; and
• Encourage prospective food vendors to invest in and hire from Priority Communities by: 1) developing bonus scores for Requests for Proposal reviews for prospective vendors demonstrating a track record of hiring and investing in such communities; and 2) assisting prospective vendors in navigating tax incentives and other financial programs designed to increase investment in disadvantaged communities; and
• Encourage conveyance of publicly-owned vacant properties (land and buildings) to local minority owned and/or controlled social enterprises and/or community land trusts for urban agriculture and other food related enterprises in an equitable fashion by setting ownership goals for minority owned and controlled enterprises; developing incentives for Requests for Proposal reviews; exploring possibilities for technical assistance and financial assistance, including tax incentives; and
• Encourage hiring people with arrest and conviction records by developing incentives for Requests for Proposal reviews, exploring options for technical assistance and financial assistance, including tax incentives; and
• Engage local universities, social enterprises and small consulting firms with demonstrated expertise in providing technical assistance to emerging and/or disadvantaged businesses; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) convene a taskforce that includes all relevant Cook County Departments and Agencies involved in the procurement or service contracting of foods, including but not limited to, Offices under the President, the Office of the Chief Judge, the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, the Office of the Sheriff, the Cook County Health and Hospital System, the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, the Center for Good Food Purchasing, and other relevant diverse stakeholders,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the taskforce recommend flexibility within each of these five value categories and the following steps in support of the purchasing of Good Food and as a framework for guiding values-driven purchasing,
1. Communicate Good Food Purchasing Standards to appropriate suppliers, including distributors and foodservice companies, and ask them to share data that will help the County complete a baseline Good Food Purchasing assessment of food procurement practices within 12 months of the adoption of this resolution.
2. After the baseline assessment has been completed, develop and adopt an multi-year action plan with benchmarks to measure success towards Good Food Purchasing Standards, diversity goals, and programs to support emerging producers and suppliers from Priority Areas and diverse communities including accountability systems with appropriate vendors/distributors to verify sourcing commitments and assess current food procurement practices within 6 months; and
3. After the baseline assessment has been completed, establish supply chain accountability and traceability systems with vendors/distributors to verify sourcing commitments and assess current food procurement practices within 6 months; and
4. To the extent permitted by law, following the multi-year action plan, after the baseline assessment has been completed, incorporate Good Food Purchasing Standards into new procurement requests and contracts within 6 months; and
5. Seek resources as needed to staff and implement the Good Food Purchasing Standards; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the taskforce report its progress to the Health and Hospital Committee within 12 months of the adoption of this resolution, and then report annually on implementation progress; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the taskforce will host an annual public hearing where diverse community stakeholders and residents can ask questions and provide feedback on implementation, including due diligence reporting data to verify compliance, measure progress, and celebrate successes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the taskforce will engage and encourage municipalities, townships, schools, hospitals and other entities within Cook County to adopt the Good Food Purchasing Policy.
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